Bread and Butter, Baby!

Second harvest of pickling cucumbers and today it was time to try the bread and butter pickle.  I had a great recipe I used with my sister a few years ago and decided to get it out of the recipe holder.  So, here is how it goes.  First, wash the cucumber and cut the top and bottom off.  The, cut in even pieces. I like mine to be a little thicker because I prefer them to be a bit crunchier.  The recipe calls for 28 cups of sliced cucumbers; however, my harvest only yielded 14, so I just halved the recipe.

After you cut all the cucumbers, you then need 8 cups (of for 4 cups for 1/2 recipe) of yellow onions.  I like to cut the onion in half and then cut the them in slices. Again, I like them a little thicker to keep their crunch.  After you cut these, put them in a large bowl and cover with 1/2 c of canning salt (different from table salt, it will leave sediment at the bottom of your jar--oh, and I used 1/4 c).  Mix it around with your hands or a spatula.  Afterwards, cover liberally with ice cubes, then tin foil, and finally a towel.  Let sit for 4 hours.

I started prepping for the canning after about 3 1/2 hours.  For this I use my largest pot (I need a larger one--hint, hint hubby, it would be a great xmas present) and my dutch oven (I don't think it is actually a dutch oven, but I have no other name for it.  The large pot is for boiling the syrup and spices and the dutch oven is for sterilizing the cans.  I started by getting the water going for sterilizing.  I placed both the jar and the lid in the pan.  I left the ring out because if it is hot, it is too difficult to twist on.  Then the recipe called for 7 1/2 cups of white vinegar (I used 3 3/4 c) and 7 1/2 c of sugar (again, 3 3/4).  To that I added 3 T mustard seeds (1 T), 1 1/2 T celery seed (3/4 T), and 1 T of tumeric (1/2 T).  I poured it all in the large pot and started them to boiling.  While this was coming to a boil, I uncovered my cucumbers, removed the ice, and rinsed them off lightly with cool water.  Once the mix was boiling, I threw them in and got them submersed in the liquid.  I waited and let it come to a boil again.

Once it came to a boil I started canning, by using a ladle and funnel to get the pickles in the jar.  They slid in easily and barely needed any coaxing, but if they did I just used a spoon to help.  I made sure there was plenty of liquid in each and I tried to make sure the was enough head room, but not too much to keep it from sealing.  Once they were filled, I got a lid and placed it on with my tongs and then sealed it with a lid.  I put it to the side to sit until it popped.  For this batch I got 4 pints and 2 quarts.  One jar doesn't have quite enough liquid, so we will put that in the fridge and eat.  The longer they sit the better, but they should be ready to eat in 2 weeks.  I don't process these in a boil bath.  I suppose you could with the a 10 min bath for a quart and 5 min for a pint.  I have been making salsa like this with my dad for ages and we've never had a problem.  As long as you keep your jars sterilized and hot right up to the point you're filling the jars you should be fine.  Since I started typing this about 30 minutes ago, all of my jars have popped and are sealed, even the one with less liquid.
Happy canning!